


And They're in a Relationship. All Three of Them.

by greyscalemuse



Series: Sherlock Holmes Has Two Soldier Boyfriends [4]
Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Anal Sex, Bottom! James, Fingering, John and James talking relationship, Jolto, Joltolock, M/M, Multi, Polyamory, Sherlock being a mopey drama queen, top! John
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-31
Updated: 2016-01-31
Packaged: 2018-05-17 12:38:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,857
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5869885
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greyscalemuse/pseuds/greyscalemuse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>While Sherlock is in a strop, John and James are forced to explain themselves and their relationship to inquiring minds - all the while rediscovering what brought them together to begin with.</p>
            </blockquote>





	And They're in a Relationship. All Three of Them.

**Author's Note:**

> Here we are! Part four! A bit heavier on the Jolto part of Joltolock this time around. Beware the un-Betaness of this ENTIRE thing!

John sucked in a breath, flexing his fingers before he slowly opened the sliding glass door to the balcony of their hotel room. He sputtered a bit when he managed to walk straight into a cloud of smoke, squinting and rubbing his eyes before he walked over to the concrete wall that Sherlock was leaning on. “Hey…”

There was no answer. Sherlock, with only a dressing gown over a thin tee shirt and pajama bottoms (that were going on their third day worn) to fight the bite of the early spring evening, stayed stock still, an ash tray perched precariously near his elbow. His cigarette was virtually forgotten about as he hung his hand over the edge and stared off into space.

“Sherlock?” John ventured again, very gently pressing his hand on Sherlock’s shoulder. The other man jumped, knocking the ashtray to the hard concrete floor of the balcony, chipping the thick glass. He sucked in a breath and looked back at John before he extinguished the cigarette on the railing, scraping away the ash.

“Yes?” he asked, voice distant and soft. He closed his eyes as John’s hand traveled upwards and rested on the back of his neck, rubbing it lightly.

“Please come inside. It’s freezing out here. You don’t even have socks on…”

“I’m fine, John…”

John sighed, bending down to pick up the ashtray, looking at it for a long moment before he set it back on it’s perch. “Sherlock… I’m tired of fighting you… but please. James will be back any minute with food… I really would just like time to sit with you… for just one evening.”

In truth, John and James had both been tag teaming to try to get Sherlock to rest ever since the fire happened a week ago. It seemed he was doing everything but. He showered minimally, he was chain smoking at least a pack a day, and he would split his time between Bart’s and the hotel balcony. The only time he would actually stay in the room for an extended period of time was to use the toilet, shower (when he finally would) and sit on the small sofa on his phone when the cold finally became too much. He essentially ran on coffee and maybe, just maybe, a couple of biscuits these days.

They stood in a long silence before John finally threw in the towel (this time) and rubbed his eyes. “Well… we’ll save you some food… please don’t stay out here for much longer. You’ll catch cold…”

“Temperature of the body has nothing to do with the common cold, John. You’re a doctor. You know that.”

John flexed his hand into a fist before he sucked in a breath and closed his eyes. “Right, Sherlock. You’re right…”

 

* * *

 

John sat on the bed, just staring at the television that wasn’t even on. He got up when he heard a keycard swipe through the lock, catching the door before it closed on James. He reached out and grabbed one of the bags that was looped over James’ wrist, helping the other man inside.

“Still out there?” James asked quietly, nodding towards the balcony.

“Yeah…” John set the food on the small round table in the corner of the room, staring at the vertical blinds that partially obscured his view of Sherlock. “I’m worried, James. Longest he’s ever been like this…”

“Well… to be fair…” James shrugged out of his coat one arm at a time. “This is about us…”

John nodded and rubbed his face, “I know. I know… it’s just… I miss him. God…” He shook his head as he grabbed a plastic fork and poked at his noodles. “He’s right there. I can see him. And yet he might as well be across the world. I miss him… didn’t think I’d ever have to do that since we found him again…”

“Hey…” James pressed his lips to the back of John’s head and whispered. “We’ll get him back. We’ll figure this out. We’ve waited too long…”

He trailed when the balcony door slid open and Sherlock slipped inside, hopping a bit on the stiff carpet to try to get the blood circulating in his feet. Obviously, he’d been out there so long they’d gone numb. Without a word, Sherlock disappeared into the bathroom and when the sound of water running started to filter into the room, both John and James sighed.

“He’s headed to Bart’s…”

 

* * *

 

James followed John to St. Bart’s, mostly to check to make sure that was Sherlock’s actual destination. Of course, they hit the morgue first. Only to find Molly.

“Hello!” she greeted them both in an unusually chipper manner before snapping her fingers a couple of times. “Oh! John. He is here. He’s up in the lab. In case you were looking…” she trailed with a nervous bite to her lip and a weak smile. James sighed audibly in relief before he pressed his hand to the small of John’s back.

“Good. Lestrade messaged me while we were on our way here…”

“Go ahead and go,” John finished for him, his own smile small but genuine as he squeezed James’ shoulder. “I’ll stick around here for a bit. Meet up with you later. Okay?”

James nodded and kissed John’s cheek before he headed out of the door, neither of them paying much mind to Molly. John almost forgot she was there until she spoke again.

“Um… that was… James, right?” she offered him another faltering smile, traces of lipstick still clinging to her thin mouth as she clutched a cup of coffee with both hands. “I’ve heard you mention him… is he your… boyfriend?” She ventured politely. John merely offered a smile back, nodding to the mug in her grasp.

  
“Yes. Is that for Sherlock?”

Molly startled when John offered out a hand before she surrendered the mug to him without protest. “Um… yes…” came the downright sheepish answer and John could only clear his throat as he gave her a complimentary tip to his chin and turned to head up to where Sherlock was undoubtedly hiding. He paused when Molly spoke again. “He seems like a good man… James…”

“He is,” John agreed whole heartedly.

“Funny, you know. Everyone around here thought you and Sherlock were… an item,” there was a little gulp inserted into the pause just before she said ‘an item’ and it gave John a few extra seconds to think about how he’d answer.

He stretched his lips into a very benign smile before he dropped his eyes and cleared his throat. “Yes… well…” bringing his bottom lip between his teeth, he pressed his tongue against the inside of it before releasing a sigh and nodded to the coffee in his hand. “That’s… because we are.”

No point in lying about it, after all.

“But…” Molly’s eyes grew wide as the realization struck her. She was a smart girl, after all, John assured himself and he quickly turned to retreat to the lab where Sherlock was supposedly waiting for coffee just as she sighed a very quiet “Oh… okay…”

He was not entirely let off the hook, however, since Molly was trailing after him.

“So you’re all three… together? I mean… actually together?”

“Yes,” John answered as he kicked open the door and held it open for her with his back.

“I’m sorry…” she suddenly blurted as if she was mentally catching up to the conversation. “That was so rude to ask… it’s just… I can’t really picture Sherlock with… well… anyone…”

“That’s not at all accurate, Molly,” Sherlock quipped as he swooped in next to John and pried the coffee cup from his grip, taking a sip as he turned back towards his work. “You pictured me with you on several occasions.”

“Sherlock!” John hissed, getting only a quick shrug and a tell-all look that said ‘It’s true’ before he turned to face Molly, who had successfully turned a very unflattering blotchy dark shade of pink and burnt red. He offered her a weird quirk to his lips that was meant to be a smile but it didn’t quite come to full fruition. He slumped as he led her back out of the lab with a gentle hand to her back, shooting a glare at Sherlock, who looked downright impish with a gleeful grin that John had not seen in days. Fantastic timing. Honestly.

A quick clear to the throat and John rested his hand to the back of his neck before he found himself apologizing. “Sorry… he… well… I suppose I don’t have to explain him to you, do I?”

Molly shook her head and smiled. “No. It’s fine. Well… not fine, per say, but you know what I mean.” She fidgeted and averted her eyes, focusing on a patch of floor just in front of her toes for just a moment before she lifted her chin and seemed to compose herself. “I shouldn’t have pried, anyway. It’s really your business…”

John blinked and nodded slowly in agreement. “That’s true, but… it’s not really a secret, either. I’m… oddly fine talking about it,” he straightened his posture before he huffed a bit of a laugh, “Maybe I shouldn’t be… but… I should probably quit this conversation before I make it worse.”

“I do need to get back to work…”

“Of course. Um… thank you, Molly. For… I dunno. We don’t know each other well but…I hope this doesn’t ruin your impression of me.”

Molly stretched her mouth into a tight lip smile before she nodded once with a quick downward tip to her chin. “It doesn’t, John. And… congratulations, I guess?”

“Hah! Yes… um… thank you.”

John watched as Molly hurried away before he dug his phone out of his pocket and sighed, sending a text to both Greg and James.

_For the love of Christ, can we please meet up for a pint later?_

 

* * *

 

Sally and Anderson were hovering and it took everything James had to ignore it while he waited for Greg. He tapped his fingers to his knee before he looked up at both of them and offered a minute smile. “Can… I help you?”

There was a short, hushed exchange of ‘you ask him’ ‘no you ask him’s before Sally finally took a seat next to James, a look of pure determination set in her eyes. “I have a friend that responded to a fire on Montague last week.”

“How coincidental,” James quipped as he pushed himself up to standing, trying his best to block out the continued hissed bickering between the man and woman that trailed after him as he moved over to a pot of stale coffee.

“There’s a rumor going around that you were quite… affectionate with Sherlock and John…”

“If you’re going to ask, please be direct. I don’t have the patience right now.”

Both Anderson and Sally stopped to stare at him, looking him up and down before Sally squared her shoulders and asked “What exactly is your relationship with Sherlock Holmes?” quite brashly. James only offered her a smile as he lifted his good shoulder in a partial shrug.

“I am romantically involved with him.”

“And John?”

“Him too,” James added without hesitation.

“So… you’re in an open relationship,” Anderson supplied

“No,” James looked between the two of them and sighed at the perplexed expressions on their faces – as if what he was suggesting was simply not possible. So he expanded on his explanation, as slowly as he could. “I am in an exclusive relationship with two other men. It’s just the three of us…” he back tracked when it was obvious that this was not going to help their comprehension of this concept. “Explain to me how you two can understand the concept of a love triangle built solely on secrets and deceit, but the idea that three people can enter a relationship with one another by remaining honest with one another is such a foreign thought?”

They both collectively sputtered, Anderson turning beet red before Sally choked out, “What are you implying?”

“Absolutely nothing, I assure you. It’s just an observation. I’ve known far more people acknowledge a cheating relationship as essentially normal, sometimes even expected, but a polyamorous one is downright unnatural. Why? Because honesty and trust among participants is a completely preposterous notion?”

He watched as both Anderson and Sally seemed to flounder a bit as a result before Sally scoffed and crossed her arms. “So you trust Sherlock Holmes to be honest with you?”

“I do.”

“He’s a psychopath. He’ll only end up disappointing you.”

“Sally, I would highly suggest that you step down from insulting my boyfriend to my face and allow me to come to that conclusion on my own.” Any remaining joviality in their discussion dissipated as James’ icy tone cut straight to the point. “It is not your business to provide unnecessary commentary on who I wish to spend my time with – least of all, who I have sex with. If I felt I needed your opinion on how to conduct my life, you can be quite certain that in the future, I will ask you for it.”

James naturally drew himself to his full height as Sally and Anderson seemed to shrink with each harshly delivered word, until finally, Anderson asked in the quietest of voices. “Yes but… what if…”

“Anderson, I would highly reconsider asking what you’re about to if it has anything to do with my sex life.”

And with that, Anderson snapped his mouth shut and quickly excused himself, only to have Sally follow him without another word. James sighed, shoulders slouching when Greg approached him and cleared his throat.

“John seems quite desperate for a drink. I’m headed to meet up with him. I can only assume you’d like to tag along.”

“For the love of God, please.”

 

* * *

  
“You’ve got to be kidding me, they didn’t!”

“Oh. But they did,” James confirmed as he took a long swig of his pint, slumping forward slightly to rub his eyes. “I really shouldn’t be surprised but that doesn’t make it less irritating.”

John shook his head, looking a bit flabbergasted before he turned to look at Greg. “First Molly, now Anderson and Sally… you and Mycroft knew from the beginning. How is it you don’t have any questions about it?”

“Us?” Greg blinked and shook his head. “Well… to be honest? It doesn’t surprise me that it would take two people to get Sherlock to act even remotely like a normal human being, and I just don’t think Mycroft cares enough to put much thought into it.” Greg took a sip of his own drink before he leaned on his elbows. “I do have one question though… pure curiosity sake, if you don’t mind me asking…”

“I suppose it can’t be any worse than what we’ve already answered.”

“How did you two get involved with each other? I assumed that you were in relationship before Sherlock was in the picture..”

Both John and James paused in thought at that before exchanging small, minuscule smiles with each other that seemed to warm their cheeks. “Actually…” John began. “That’s a hard one to answer… it was such a slow process…” He leaned against his folded hands as he regarded James with a fond expression. “I guess there wasn’t really a definitive moment… not until Sherlock.”

“Mmm… there was a lot of heavy flirting though… like…” James tilted his head back as he searched his memory. “One moment sticks out… you’d just got turned down by this American reporter… cute, I guess…”

“I don’t even remember this, so I couldn’t tell you…”

“Red hair? Married?”

“Ah! Yes… that’s right. She was way out of my league. Didn’t hurt to try though…”

“Anyway,” James waved John’s additional commentary away, clearing it to finish his story. “I remember making some kind of comment on how you’d flirt with just about anyone. I think it was Murray that was there?”

“Oh right! Murray… good guy…”

“He said something along the lines… I think it was… ‘That’s not true sir, I don’t think he’d ever get up the courage to flirt with you’,” John broke into a string of suppressed giggles from behind his hand. “And you said… without skipping a beat… ‘Oh, I have tried, but he just doesn’t notice’. I was dumbstruck. Didn’t even think to punish you. I’m surprised Murray didn’t try to report it.”

“Nah. Murray wasn’t a snitch. He’s a good guy. Got a partner waiting for him at home, in fact…” John clutched at his drink and stared down into it with a distant expression. “Closest I got to getting anywhere with you… then we started the challenges.”

“Challenges?” Greg looked in between James and John.

“They were mostly little things… who would give us a number… who’d flirt back… who’d try to sneak a kiss. That kind of thing…” James supplied.

“Then a certain reporter by the name of William Scott showed up on base… kind of changed the game.”

“Do I really want to hear this?”

James and John just chuckled before James downed the rest of his drink, “Flirting with him for two days… getting him all riled up…”

“Miracle we didn’t pounce on him sooner…”

“Alright. Alright. Now I’m regretting asking…” Greg made a face before John shook his head.

“Honestly though… those two weeks with him? That’s what got James and I together… long time coming, really… but… that’s what did it.”

“That’s why we had to find him when we got back to London…”

John nodded somberly as they both seemed to think back to Sherlock’s current distance between them. They didn’t comment on it, and Greg didn’t pry, merely finishing his drink before standing.

“Well… if you don’t mind… I have to get back to my own…”

“Hey…” John remarked, suddenly looking thoughtful, “You know, you’ve never told us how that started.”

“Mm… no. I suppose I haven’t. But… I think it’s best I tell that story another day, right? I’ll see you later… and James?” Greg passed off a thumb drive to James. “I never had this.”

“Got it.”

 

* * *

  
John’s hand faltered with the way James’ lips rubbed along the back of his neck, taking him the third try to get through the door. James caught it so it wouldn’t close on them when John spun around and started to kiss James fervently. They steered each other into the hotel room, stumbling to the floor, John kicking the door shut before he got to his knees and pulled his shirt over his head.

“Christ…” James exhaled before he pulled John back to him, “When was the last time we did this?”

“Just the two of us?” John clarified before their lips crashed together in another passionate kiss, lips parting for their tongues to slid together. John pulled back with a gasp as his lungs ached for air. “God… not since we found Sherlock…” He started to tear at James’ shirt, popping a few buttons off as he yanked it open to hungrily mouth at the edge of James’ scarred skin. He felt the man beneath him exhale his name, fingers at the back of his neck before the grip tightened and pulled him back, steering John’s lips back to James’.

“Bed…” he huffed into John’s mouth between long kisses.

They both scrambled to their knees, barely able to get to the foot of the bed before they collided with each other again. John pressing James’ chest against the edge, kissing along his shoulder blades as he pushed the other man’s trousers down. He fell back to his knees as James pulled himself further up the bed, John pushing down his briefs as he pressed his lips against James’ skin as it was bared to him.

James was left gasping with a few swipes of John’s tongue, reaching to pull John back with a tug to his hair, just as the other man’s tongue started to circle his puckered hole. “God dammit John, just fuck me.” It would have been a plea, could have been, but James’ voice was always carried with a natural authority that such words were a direct order and John could only comply.

John finished stripping himself bare, James turning onto his back and tossing a small tube to John, who only just caught it. He fell back into James’ arms like it was the easiest thing in the world, whispering praises to him as he settled between his legs, their earlier conversation whisking him along waves of nostalgia as he marveled that he was ever allowed to get this close to Major James Sholto. “You know I always thought you were the most gorgeous man I’d ever seen?”

“Aren’t you the charmer?” James whispered before arching his back as John’s fingers pressed into him. “But you… already have me in bed, John… no need for… mm… compliments now.”

“Not true…” John answered back, closing his eyes as James grip on him tightened as he brushed against that spot with the very tips of his fingers. “Because you’re never more beautiful than you are right now…”

James managed a soft, breathy chuckle. “God, John… you lay it on thick…” He was hushed by another kiss, tugging John closer as he slid further back against the sheets. John pried James’ hand from his shoulder, wrestling with it slightly as he fought to pin James down. Their lips parted with a loud smack as John pushed himself back up onto his knees.

“I’m taking my time with you James…” John insisted, hand sliding down to James’ elbow as he concentrated on opening James up, biting his lip as soft little gasps and moans caught in James’ throat. “Give you a chance… to let go of some of that control…” he offered a smirk before he began to move down James’ body, lips tracing down his skin from sternum to naval before he kissed each hip bone. His free hand slipped from where it kept James’ good arm pinned, grasping at James’ thigh as the heel of the other leg pressed lightly against his back. John pressed his nose to James’ groin, thrusting his fingers deep into the other man, trying to draw out the bit back cries. He ignored the light tugs to his hair, in favor of wrapping his lips partly around the base of James’ cock, tracing his tongue along the skin as he slipped down to suck on his scrotum. There was a groan, rumbling and deep, rich and husky that pushed past James’ teeth as John felt his hand shift from his hair to the neglected length that wept for attention.

John, in turn, withdrew his fingers and pushed himself back up, spreading James’ knees as he did. “Gorgeous…” he insisted before he slicked himself up and then tossed the lube aside. James surged upwards and captured John’s mouth with his own, knocking him backwards as James pressed his knees against the bed on either side of John’s hips, straddling his lap.

“Think I’m going to give you that much control?” James purred, John responding with a laugh and a shake to his head.

“No. What was I thinking?” He gasped when James took a hold of him, guiding his erection into him slowly. John gripped James’ hips, thrusting upwards little by little until he was completely sheathed. “Fuck…” he whispered as he looked down to see James’ erection pressing against his stomach.

James was tortuously slow, lifting his hips bit by bit before grinding downward, causing John to toss back his head with a groan. “Jesus Christ… James… just let me fuck you how I want…”

“Not going to happen,” James smirked, “You gotta be stronger than me first…” he urged as he squeezed his muscles around John, causing the other man to shout.

“James… God! Fuck!” John pushed James back with all his might, thrusting into him as they fell back against the bed again. He lifted both arms above James head and looked at him in the eye. “You like to torture me.”

“Now you’re the only one who can pull someone apart, right John?” James purred before he was silenced be a particularly hard thrust, his right arm trying to jerk itself free.

“I love you… you know that?” John whispered as he set his pace, sliding in and out of James as he searched for the right angle.

“Yeah… I know that…” James whispered back just as he threaded his fingers with John’s and closed his eyes. “And I love you too… dear god John… just like that!”

The constant push and pull between them finally surrendered as they fell in sync with one another – their bodies moving together as their lips constantly searched each other out, sometimes purposefully missing to hit a shoulder or a chin or a cheek. Sweet words of endearment peppered with words of pure filth floated between them as they lost each other only to come back again.

John came first, finally tipping over the edge as he spilled himself into James. James came shortly after, painting their stomachs and lower chests as John fell against him. They laid there, holding one another, as their bodies began to stick together with dried come and chilled sweat. They slowly pulled apart from each other, flinching from the grime that had collected between them. It took them another long moment before they gathered enough energy between them to push their way out of the bed, John heading towards the shower first, but not before he leaned down and kissed James’ shoulder.

 

* * *

 

John was sitting on top of the duvet, wearing nothing but a dressing gown with his damp hair slicked back. He thumbed through the book in his hands, looking up when the hotel door lock clicked again and Sherlock slid into the room. The tall man looked rather wired, his tousled curls more unruly than usual before he ran his hands through it to push it back from his face. It didn’t work, several curls bouncing straight back into his eyes without fail.

He almost passed John by completely on his path towards the balcony, but one foot tangled into the discarded sheet that laid across the floor. He kicked his foot free, but it was enough for his head to snap towards John, who watched him patiently.

And it wouldn’t have taken Sherlock Holmes level of genius to figure out what had transpired just a half hour ago. But it definitely helped.

“You…” he exhaled as he tilted his head to listen to the shower water run. “You and James had sex without me…”

“Is that a problem?”

Sherlock looked a little lost as if he was processing everything. And John supposed he probably was. He shed his scarf and coat, laying them across the back of one of the small dining chairs before John held out his hand.

“Sherlock,” he coaxed, “Come here.”

And Sherlock didn’t argue as John had expected. Instead, he crawled into bed next to John, nestling himself in the crook of John’s arm and closing his eyes. John pressed his lips to Sherlock’s forehead before he whispered his question again, his words gentle. “Does it bother you that James and I slept together without you?”

“Yes,” Sherlock blurted before he wrinkled his nose. “No…” he corrected before he sighed in frustration. “Well… not in the way that you think…” John stayed quiet before he gestured to Sherlock to continue. “It bothers me that you have to…”

“We don’t have to, Sherlock. We wanted to. But if it bothers you…”

“It doesn’t bother me.”

John pressed his lips together into a thin tight line before he sucked in a breath and nodded. “Okay. Sherlock… direct question. Are you okay with James and I having sex without you?”

“It’s not fair of me to ask you not to, John… I know my own sex drive and my work doesn’t always allow us to have sex at the frequency…”

John held up a hand, “I’m not asking about fairness, Sherlock. I’m asking you if it’s okay. Yes or no.”

Sherlock paused in thought and nodded slowly. “Yes,” he insisted and bit his lip.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes,” Sherlock answered with a bit more confidence before he settled back down against John’s chest. John wrapped one arm around him and looked up as James entered the room, toweling his hair dry.

James paused at the sight and smiled a bit before he crawled into bed on the other side of Sherlock. “Hey… we missed you.”

“I was right here…” Sherlock answered as he allowed both James and John peel his jacket off his shoulders.

“No you weren’t,” James insisted before he kissed Sherlock’s pale neck as the skin was bared to him. “But it’s glad to have you back.”

Sherlock nodded and settled between them, closing his eyes as he allowed his mind to slow, intoxicated on the combined scent of his lovers surrounding him. “I’m glad to be back…” he murmured, as he allowed himself to be lulled to sleep with gentle touches and kisses.

**Author's Note:**

> Please stay tuned for more! There's another project around the bend, so that'll slow down updates on this series but don't think for a moment that I'm done with it! :)


End file.
